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Midas Whale
Midas Whale were a folk music duo act from Season 2 of JayGT. They were eliminated in the Judge Cuts, but returned to the Quarterfinals as a wildcard, where they were eliminated again. Midas Whale returned to JayGT: Redemption Island, where they were eliminated in the Judge Cuts. Background Midas Whale is the popular folk duo who gained national recognition and overwhelming support on NBC's hit show, The Voice. The duo released their debut album, Sugar House, on Feb 11, 2014. The album blends the rough and dirty sounds of early Western music with the pure bright harmonies of folk music. All original songs were written and arranged by Ryan Hayes and Jon Peter Lewis. Musicians Jon Peter Lewis and Ryan Hayes met during an open mic in 2009 and immediately began to collaborate. Lewis and Hayes went on to form the popular folk duo, Midas Whale in 2012 and collaborated on a rock opera titled Deep Love. Influenced by Simon and Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers and Van Morrison, Lewis and Hayes auditioned for NBC's hit show The Voice in 2012. Auditioning with a folk version of "Folsom Prison Blues" the duo received the coveted 4-chair turn by Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Usher and Shakira. Levine was impressed with Lewis and Hayes saying, "You guys are one of the more charming, talented duos I have ever seen perform. That's the truth." The duo chose Team Adam, where they were eliminated in the Knockout Round. Midas Whale was praised throughout the season for their superb harmonies, infectious energy and humor. Following the duo's performances in 2013 on The Voice, Midas Whale began work on a debut album and released it's first original music video,"Howling at the Moon" with a live recording. On May 5, 2013, Midas Whale launched a successful Kickstarter Campaign to fund their independent record. Thanks to their enthusiastic fans, the campaign funded over 100% in just 3 weeks. Midas Whale released the debut album. Sugar House, on February 11, 2014. The record is a blend of rough and dirty sounds of early Western music with the pure bright harmonies of folk music. Ryan Hayes describes the album as a "sonic adventure through the American West." All original songs were written and arranged by Hayes and Lewis. Prior to their success as a folk duo, in 2010 Hayes and Lewis launched a rock opera titled Deep Love. The stage was show opened first in Idaho to rave reviews and has since become a highly anticipated event selling out theaters throughout the country. On Feb 3, 2014 Lewis and Hayes released a live recording of the rock show's 23 original songs. In 2015 Deep Love was selected from hundreds of candidates by a grand jury of Tony Award-winning directors and producers to be one of ten featured musicals produced for the News Link Project of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. (NMTF). Auditions Midas Whale is one of the bonus acts that skipped the main audition round. Judge Cuts Midas Whale's Judge Cuts performance in Episode 207 consisted of singing Johnny Cash's “Folsom Prison Blues”: during the song, one member played the accordion, and the other played a harmonica. JayDK and Usagi gave the duo standing ovations. Midas Whale’s performance was not strong enough for the judges to send them to the Quarterfinals, eliminating them from the competition along with Pilobolus Dance Theater, instead of Robbie Maddison. Quarterfinals Midas Whale was Usagi’s Wild Card pick to return for the Quarterfinals. Midas Whale’s Quarterfinals performance in Episode 210 consisted of performing Elvis Presley's "Burning Love". JayDK gave the duo a standing ovation. Midas Whale did not receive enough votes to advance to the Semifinals, eliminating them from the competition instead of Pentatonix. RI Qualifier Vegas Round RI Judge Cuts Category:Acts Category:Season 2 Acts Category:Bands Category:Season 2 Bands Category:Bonus Acts Category:Season 2 Bonus Acts Category:Male Singers Category:Season 2 Male Singers Category:Instrumentalists Category:Season 2 Instrumentalists Category:The Voice Contestants Category:Quarterfinalists Category:Season 2 Quarterfinalists Category:Wildcard Acts Category:Usagi's Wildcards Category:Season 2 Wildcard Acts Category:Acts Appearing in Multiple Seasons Category:RI Acts Category:RI Instrumentalists Category:RI Bands Category:American Idol Contestants Category:Accepted Acts Category:RI Accepted Acts